Article handling apparatus for the storage and delivery of plural types of articles

Abstract

An article storage and delivery system comprising a rack having vertical rows of article storage compartments, and a storage and retrieval machine movable along one side of the rack for selectively placing articles in and removing them from the compartments. An indexable turntable, having a plurality of circumferentially spaced article supports, is arranged at the opposite side of and partially within the rack so that each support is indexable into a machine accessible position, thereby enabling articles to be transferred by the machine between the storage compartments and the turntable supports. By dedicating each turntable support to a particular article type, different articles on the turntable are selectively deliverable by indexing movements thereof to a station on the turntable periphery externally of the rack.

I claim: 
     
       1. Article handling apparatus comprising: a rack structure having opposite sides and vertical rows of compartments extending transversely of said sides; each compartment being adapted to contain an article;   a storage and retrieval machine mounted for movement along one side of said rack structure, said machine including a vertically movable carriage, and article handling means on said carriage operable to place an article in or remove an article from a selected one of said compartments;   an indexable turntable having an axis of rotation and a plurality of article supports spaced radially and circumferentially relative to said axis;   means for mounting said turntable with the axis thereof disposed vertically and with peripheral portions thereof extending into and projecting from the other side of said rack structure whereby in response to indexing movements of said turntable each of said article supports is selectively positionable within said rack structure so as to form a transfer compartment accessible by said storage and retrieval machine; and control means connected to said storage and retrieval machine and to said turntable for correlating the respective movements thereof whereby articles are selectively transferable between said compartments and said article supports of said turntable.   
     
     
       2. Article handling apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an article delivery station located adjacent to the turntable projecting portion at the other side of the rack structure; a call command unit at said delivery station, said call command unit being connected to said control means, said control means being adapted in response to a signal from said call command unit to cause any selected article support of said turntable to be indexed to said delivery station. 
     
     
       3. Article handling apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the articles to be handled comprise a number N of different types of articles, said plurality of turntable article supports equal said number N with each article support being dedicated to one type of article, said command unit includes selectively operable signaling means for identifying each type of article, and said control means in response to said signaling means is adapted to cause an indexing movement of said turntable such as to place at the delivery station the article support dedicated to the article identified by the signaling means. 
     
     
       4. Article handling apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the turntable article supports are arranged in a plurality of vertically spaced tiers, the article supports of one tier being offset circumferentially from the article supports of an adjacent tier. 
     
     
       5. Article handling apparatus according to claim 3 wherein each article to be handled comprises a tray adapted to contain one or more identical items, a loaded tray receiving station and an empty tray removal station each arranged so as to be accessible by said machine, a tray entry signal command unit connected to said control means, said control means being adapted in response to signals from said tray entry command unit to cause said machine to transfer loaded trays from said receiving station to compartments of said storage rack structure, and said call command unit includes means for generating an empty tray signal, said control means being adapted in response to said empty tray signal to cause said turntable to index the article support carrying an empty tray into said transfer compartment position within said rack structure and to cause said machine to transfer said empty tray from said article support to said tray removal station.